So this whole yearofStar Wars thing apparently includes dormant video games too, who knew? Despite the fact that the lesser of the two Knights of the Old Republic role-playing games released all the way back in 2004, it recently got a pretty huge update. Now KotOR 2: The Sith Lords is playable on Mac and Linux, available in the Mac App Store, has achievements, widescreen support and will even run in 4K and 5K resolution. If it's a console-like experience you're chasing, the game supports controllers too, including PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One gamepads. The title's Steam page teases mod support via Steam Workshop and even a "Force special effects" option in the game's menu. To find out exactly what the latter entails, you'll likely have to download it for yourself.

Retro gaming projects on Kickstarter are pretty common, but here's one that's a bit different: a game cartridge that, when plugged into the original Nintendo Entertainment System, plays an 8-bit game, and when plugged into a Mac or PC (via USB) plays a modern version of the same game. Perhaps the coolest aspect is that the two versions will interact with each other; an ability or weapon unlocked in one is available to futz with in its cousin. That is, if the project's Kickstarter is funded, of course. As Mystic Searches' project lead Joe Granato IV tells it, the concept comes from a design document he drew up, quite literally, as a seven year-old back in the '80s.

One of the major points of contention when Diablo IIIreleased on PC and Mac last year was an auction house where you could use real money to buy high-level gear. That's changing next March 18th when developer Blizzard closes the doors on the controversial feature, as well as the in-game currency auction house. In a post on Battle.net, Blizzard's John Hight writes that, despite the auction house's benefits, it "ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot" -- a problem that he and game director Josh Mosquiera explain further in the video after the break. If you want a preview of what an auction house-free Diablo III looks like right now, check out the recent PS3 and Xbox 360 ports -- they're super good!

Developer 4A Games is spreading Metro: Last Light's bleak vision of a nuclear future (is there any other kind?) to new digs starting September 10th. Next month it'll be available via Steam -- with Steam Play support -- and the App Store for Mac, but Linux fans have to wait until "sometime later" this year to play another high-profiletitle on Valve's favorite OS. If add-on content turns your crank, the extended love the Windows and console versions got will be available at launch, with future releases arriving simultaneously for all systems. If you haven't played Last Light's prequel on one of those other platforms and want to catch up on the story, give the book it's based on a shot in the meantime. You've finished all your feel-good beach novels by now, yeah?

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Wed, 28 Aug 2013 05:37:00 -040021|20705467http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/mad-catz-brings-mac-support-to-r-a-t-gaming-mice/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Mac users certainly have quite a few more gaming options these days than they once did, and they can now also add Mad Catz's series of Cyborg R.A.T. gaming mice to that list. The company finally released some Mac drivers for the complete range of mice today, which will let you take advantage of all the advanced features Windows users are already accustomed to. Those still putting off that Snow Leopard update will have to take care of that first, however, as the drivers won't accept anything less.

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Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:06:00 -040021|19961071http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/17/valve-says-apple-nvidia-and-ati-are-working-to-improve-mac-gami/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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We've already seen some evidence that Macs running Steam are generally more powerful than PCs running Steam, and it looks like Apple is busily working to make sure that all potential performance is put to good use. As Valve's Rob Barris has confirmed on the company's forums, Apple, ATI and NVIDIA are all "involved" in improving Mac gaming performance, and that "performance is going to improve as drivers are updated." Barris further went on to say that he expects "modest improvements in short term and larger ones in longer term," but wouldn't offer any specific dates as to when some of those updates might roll out.

No matter which three-legged sentry turret you pick, Steam games run fine if it houses a decent graphics card. That said, stick this in your breech and shoot it -- the latest edition of Valve's hardware survey shows the glossy white Apple models outgun Windows counterparts in a number of areas. Whereas the majority of Windows PCs have 2GB or 3GB of memory, 53 percent of Macs sport 4GB of RAM -- though that's likely attributable to the popularity of 32-bit OS. While 17 percent of Windows users are also stuck with a single CPU, over 90 percent of Macs running Steam have a dual-core... and internet connectivity's biased towards Mac gamers too, with 65 percent reporting download speeds over 2Mbit compared to under half of PCs. Of course, where it truly counts for games, Macs still sorely lag behind; the top six Windows GPUs reported are all capable performers, but only 32.5 percent of Macs surveyed had anything but a bottom-barrel graphics card. Get with the times, Apple -- even your mobile guys know gaming's not a niche anymore.

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Thu, 10 Jun 2010 01:31:00 -040021|19509884http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/10/steam-on-mac-preview-roundup-all-but-identical-to-pc/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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With that hotly-anticipated May 12th release date just around the corner, you might be wondering how Steam on Mac will perform. You're in luck, because some of our favorite Mac news sites have just finished testing the software's closed beta. The verdict? It's practically the exact same as the Windows version, except there's almost nothing to buy. Save for the Growl-like notifications at the top of the screen, the UI is all but indistinguishable, and as promised,data and purchases (if playable) automatically carry over in their entirety from your Windows Steam account. Team Fortress 2 even has cross-platform capability, allowing Mac users to play online with their Windows counterparts, though several journalists noted you might want to invest in a two-button wheel mouse if you don't want to be found out. Source Engine performance on Mac wasn't quite as good as on Windows in tests using the exact same hardware (thanks, Boot Camp), but admirably comes close nonetheless; Electronista was able to maintain a similar framerate in Portal just by disabling two levels of anti-aliasing. Not all Mac users will be able to partake in these games, however; though a MacBook Pro with a discrete 512MB GeForce 8600M card could run them well and a GeForce 9400M laptop managed on low settings, those with only integrated Intel graphics chips might find themselves in for a painful surprise.

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Mon, 10 May 2010 18:59:00 -040021|19471593http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/29/steam-for-mac-opens-a-portal-to-may-12-steps-through/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Valve promised that Steam on Mac would arrive in April. As you're no doubt aware, April is nearly over. Does that make Steam... vaporware? Not quite. Put away the Caruso sunglasses for two more weeks, because our friends at Joystiq just received a one-line email reading: "Valve today announced the public release of Steam for the Mac is May 12. Please stay tuned for more information." Oh well -- at least you're not waiting for Steam on Linux, and you can always stock up on Razer peripherals while you endure the delay.

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Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:20:00 -040021|19459653http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/razer-promises-mac-support-for-all-upcoming-products/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Razer already provides full Mac support for a few of its gaming peripherals -- including the Naga and DeathAdder -- and basic support for others, but it's now taken avantage of GDC to "reaffirm" its commitment to Mac users. That apparently means that "all upcoming" Razer products -- including the company's line of StarCraft II peripherals -- will boast full Mac support out of the box, and that the company will be rolling out updates to some of its existing products "later this year," including the Orochi, Mamba, and Imperator gaming mice. First Steam, now Razer peripherals -- dare we say it's a good time to be a Mac gamer?

Eager gamers have no doubt already seen the teasers, but Valve has now finally confirmed that its Steam game distribution service and Source engine will at long last be headed to the Mac. According to Valve, the company's current line-up of games (including the Half-Life and Left 4 Dead series) will be available to Mac users in April, while Portal 2 will represent the company's first simultaneous release for PC and Mac later this year. Better still, Steamworks for Mac also boasts a new feature called "Steam Play," which will let you buy a game once and, for instance, start playing it on a PC at work and then pick up where you left off on your Mac at home (we'll give you a moment to let that sink in). Game publishers will have to enable that feature themselves, but Valve says it expects most to take advantage of it.